Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Steve Hiscock
On Saturday February 15, 2025, a strong opening quarter wasn’t enough for the Rochester Knighthawks (4-7) as they struggled to sustain offensive momentum, ultimately falling 17-9 to the second-place Saskatchewan Rush (8-2) at SaskTel Centre.
Despite the loss, Rochester has been formidable on the road in 2025, winning three of its last four away games marking the longest such streak in franchise history. However, the Knighthawks were unable to take down the Rush this season, dropping both matchups, including a narrow 14-12 defeat back on December 21, 2024.
Ryan Lanchbury (2+4) led Rochester with six points, dishing out four assists, while Connor Fields (3+1) and Ryan Smith (2+2) each contributed four points. Fields registered a game-high 16 shots and, along with returning captain Dan Coates (0+2), collected 10 loose balls. Thomas McConvey (0+3) added three assists, while Matt Gilray (1+1) and Graydon Hogg (1+1) each posted multi-point performances. Ian Llord, Josh Medeiros, and former Rush champion Curtis Knight each recorded an assist. In net, Rylan Hartley made his second start of the season, stopping 18 shots before Riley Hutchcraft took over in relief as he had made the previous starts in first nine games of the season, making four saves in seven minutes of action against the Rush.
First quarter saw both teams held off the board in the early minutes, but Fields broke the deadlock at 5:03 with the first of his three goals. Saskatchewan responded with back-to-back tallies from Zach Manns and Mike Triolo, taking a 2-1 lead late in the quarter. Rochester answered back in a big way, netting four of the next five goals, three of which came in a rapid-fire fashion in a 58 second stretch to close out the quarter with a 5-3 lead.
The Rush would find their rhythm in the second, scoring six straight goals to take a 9-5 lead. Rochester’s C. Fields briefly halted the surge with a power-play goal off assists from Hogg and McConvey, but the Rush still held a 9-6 lead heading into halftime.
Saskatchewan wasted no time extending its lead in the third. Austin Shanks, who was one of three Rush players to notch a hat trick on the night, scored just 26 seconds into the quarter. Rochester would battle back with tallies from Gilray and Hogg, but Rush’s Robert Church would respond with a behind-the-back goal. They would proceed to pile on three more tallies, including Shanks closing out the frame with a power-play tally, stretching their lead to 13-8 at the end of third quarter.
The home squad Rush did not let up in the fourth. Shanks got it started with another man up marker 4:07 into the frame to complete his four-goal night, but Rochester’s Lanchbury would answer back with a man-advantage goal of his own to keep Rochester within reach. Moments later, teammate Fields nearly cut the deficit to four, but his shot would go off the post. On the ensuing play, an illegal substitution on the Knighthawks gave the Rush a penalty shot, which Church capitalized on to extend the Saskatchewan’s lead. Saskatchewan would tally two more scores in the closing minutes, sealing the decisive 17-9 victory.
GAME STATS:
Rochester Knighthawks—SOG 48; Saves 22; Sv% .564; FO 15-30; PP 2-5; PIM 10
Saskatchewan Rush—SOG 39; Saves 39; Sv% .812; FO 15-30; PP 3-4 PIM 10
NEXT UP:
The Rochester Knighthawks (4-7) will head west to face the Calgary Roughnecks (5-4)*** at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday February 22, 2025, game time 9:00 p.m. EST, for the lone meeting of the two teams in the regular season. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+ and NLL+, while fans in Canada get to see the action on TSN+.
The Saskatchewan Rush (8-2) will head to Rogers Arena to face the Vancouver Warriors (5-5) on Friday February 21, 2025, game time 10:00 p.m. EST. This is the NLL Friday Night on TSN game for fans in Canada, so they can catch the game on TSN5; TSN1 and TSN+. Fans in the USA can see the action on ESPN+ and NLL+.
Christopher Crane, Rochester Knighthawks Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
***Record at the time of the article